Welcome to my
Bob Dylan™ Musical Roots
and Influences Blog
(a previous incarnation was bobdylanroots.com)
of Manfred Helfert, Mainz, Germany.
Any copyrighted items are included here for "nonprofit educational purposes" (one of the criteria of "fair use", Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 107). Most audio recordings linked to (but not hosted) in this blog are believed to be either uncopyrighted or to have lapsed into Public Domain in the EU where this blog originates.

Jeff commented:"Both of these albums... are what collectors call 'well played'--far from mint condition; obviously frequently played by their original owners. These were records they listened to, loved, and in many cases were inspired by; some of the building blocks of their artistry. Part of their musical mojo. So thanks to Suze Rotolo, we have a bit more insight into what Bob was listening to at a most formative time....To me, these were talismanic objects, filled with the music we now know inspired Dylan so much. When I asked Rotolo by email why Dylan had written on his albums, she told me that it was similar to making notes in the margins of books for him. Later I realized at the point he annotated these, he had only been going by the name Bob Dylan for perhaps a year and a half--in fact, he had only legally changed his name in August, 1962--three months before buying these. It's almost as if he was seeing how his new name fit alongside those of these legendary artists."

Please note Bob Dylan's comments on the original sleeve: "Drinked up and let out by Bob Dylan"
and "Read Thoroughly and with full throttle by Bob Dylan" -- one song from this compilation
("Step It Up And Go") was covered by Bob on his 1992 album "Good As I Been To You".